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Saturday, June 28, 2014

Guiding 7 undergraduate thesis projects - it was a big challenge. I was not sure if I could do it. So far in my so called career as a part time teacher, I had helped post grad students who are marginally more serious. In my own college days, I was a truant myself, how could I even expect these children to be any different?

So began the journey. The industry has evolved, and so has the way Architecture is taught : Modern practices, thought processes and materials. Lot was to be learnt by my own self, shedding apprehensions. There were senior professionals around - and as they taught, they had an additional student in me.

All said and done, working with the seven students in my group was a experience in itself. Let us start from the left. The young lady in white is Apoorva. She may look all so studious with her spectacles, but she is exactly the opposite. She'd refuse to work beyond what she thinks is right. But she can spot her errors fast and can make up statements to cover them during her presentation.

The guy with dishevelled hair and beard is Ankit. He had a very ambitious project, and the biggest problem with him is that his interests lie in far too many places. I had a hard time dragging his attention back to academics, and am glad that he could do justice to his thesis at the end.

Third in line for you is Dinesh: the bespactled guy. He is the only one among my students who knew what he wanted to do, but had a very challenging site. He could conjure options out of nowhere and finally could transform the limitations into opportunities.

The short doll in black on my left is Shivani - she is a store of ideas, but she tends to get confused. However, working with her was comparatively easy, for all I had to do was streamline her energy.

The smiling boy behind Shivani in a blue shirt with white collars is Deepanshu. And is he a brat? You can make out from his mischievous grin. He'd miss discussions and bug you, but you just cannot scold him for when he comes, there is significant progress in his work.

The lady in pink on my right is Bhavya. She is quite a doll, and obedient. We had initial hiccups together, but afterwards, her enthusiasm surprised me.

Last but not the least, on the extreme right is Sahil. He is everything he does not appear to be, and is not anything what you may think of him. He is a hardworking guy and working with him was good fun.

At the end of the semester, my students gave me a showpiece as a "Thank You" gift, which is their custom. Although I felt it was quite unnecessary, I was touched by what the card said:

Sunday, June 01, 2014

Its that time of the year in India which most of us hate - Summer. It rains once in a while, but it makes the weather all the more unbearable. As humdity weighs our spirits down, what happens to us, the foodies, who want to eat out but the idea of oily preparations make us sick?

Chef Sujan has come up with a perfect menu for this season at Olive Qutub, Mehrauli. Its tasty, its light and its refreshing. Even after a long day at work.

So much attention is given to detail, that you shall simply love digging in. It maybe a simple watermelon terrine, but it is coupled with greenapple, avocado and mint to enhance the taste.

The season demands more salads than anything else, and thus, the new menu offers variety of light salads- nutritious, but feather light. The chef offers you a light soup, and then brings in his master stroke : Lamb rump - a non vegeterian's delight!

For those who have a sweet tooth, do not forget to check out the Tiramisu - its teasing coffee flavour, heightened by a biscuit like texture.
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